The present invention relates to a method for producing 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone which is useful as an intermediate of medicines and agricultural chemicals and as a reagent for introducing fluorine-containing groups.
English translation (pp. 241-245) of Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR, Vol. 307, No. 6, pp. 1385-1390, August, 1989 discloses that 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone is synthesized from 3,3,3-trichloro-1,1,1-trifluoropropane-2-one in an anhydrous solvent, through an Al-enolate intermediate, using a mercury compound catalyst. In this synthesis, it is necessary to strictly maintain the reaction system under an anhydrous condition and use a mercury compound catalyst which is hazardous. Thus, this synthesis is not suited to an industrial scale production of 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone. In view of this, there is a demand for a method for producing 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone, which is suited to an industrial scale production therefor.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication JP-A-9-227440 discloses another method for producing 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone by chlorinating a trifluoroacetoacetate represented by the formula CF.sub.3 COCH.sub.2 CO.sub.2 R, where R is a lower alkyl group, and then decarboxylating the chlorinated trifluoroacetoacetate.